should i buy a touring bike with suspension fork or without (strait normal rigid)?

[cyclewhynot]

hi i used to have a suspension on a mtb i was using in town , I found it very usefull as sometimes i had to jump without notice a sidewalk and it made it less painfull and less damageable to the bike. but i have never done touring.

 

[cyclewhynot]

hi what are the caracteristic of a gravel bike?
is it only the capacity to receive wide tyres? what is the minimal, best and maximum width for large tyres?

 

[cyclewhynot]

some people suggest hardtail mtb for touring with some off road. why ? i mean , at some point i imagine a decent pourcentage of vibration and gap hole, impact is absorbed by front suspension isn't it?

Also anyone did touring with a DOUBLE SUSPENSION REAR AND FRONT? some swear by it. (i dont care much about energy lost since im not racing and that it translate in probable less energy in the wrist. who tried touring with it? tx

 

[DRM]

hi what are the caracteristic of a gravel bike?
is it only the capacity to receive wide tyres? what is the minimal, best and maximum width for large tyres?

Where to to start, Gravel bikes come in many different guises, from road bikes that take wide tyres, to what is virtually a hardtail MTB with drop bars, and very slack geometry
https://www.orrobikes.com/shop/2021-terra-g-105-hydro
This is a road bike that takes wider tyres.
https://eu.evil-bikes.com/a/bikes/chamois-hagar
This is an MTB with drop handlebars
What you need to find for touring on mixed tarmac/off road is the middle ground, something with plenty of rack mounts, a wide spread of gears to make it easier climb when laden, the ability to take as wide a tyre as possible, and a comfortable geometry, splayed drop handlebars will make it possible to attach a bar bag, baggage wise this is what you can set a gravel bike up like to go bike packing.
https://bikepacking.com/bikepacking-101/how-to-bikepack/
It's perfectly possible to use a hard tail MTB to bike pack on, but I'd only want to do that if the route was very rough, the Gravel bike will be more useable over mixed routes.
Of course if you were sticking to mainly tarmac, then a traditional touring bike would do the job.

 

[Cycleops]

Sure, around town you’ll maybe find a suspension fork useful where journeys are short but if you’re going for hours at a time over varied terrain they just become a drag , literally. You can appreciate that from the foregoing comments.

Characteristics of a gravel bike? Yes, the ability to run wide tyres and a relaxed position although some have more aggressive geometry. Optimum size for touring might be considered to be anything from 32c to 40c width. The wider the more comfort, narrower faster and more efficient, it’s your call.

Hardtail mtb’s might be recommended for a number of reasons, mostly as many have one to hand. You can tour on virtually anything but it might not be the most efficient or practical. Sure you can tour on a full suspension bike but after a while you’ll be swearing at it not by it . You could try it yourself by taking a long trip on one. It’s inefficient and heavy on the road and all that will sap your energy. Now imagine it loaded up for touring. As I said you can tour on anything but it may not provide the best experience. It’s all down to you.

 

[rualexander]

Most suspension forks require some level of servicing at regular intervals, with air sprung forks this can be as little as every 50 hours riding for minor servicing, so maybe every 8-10 days on a cycle tour which makes them a poor choice for touring.
You can probably stretch out the service interval to get away with it for a two or three week tour, but any longer and you might have issues.
Some coil sprung forks have much longer service intervals, annually for example, and would probably be the better choice for touring. But they are still inherently more likely to cause problems on a long tour than rigid forks.

All my touring, worldwide, on all sorts of road surfaces from smooth tarmac to south american ripio has been on rigid forks, it can get bumpy but you get used to it.

 

[chriswoody]

To add in to the excellent replies above as a way of example. Kona make the excellent Sutra, a traditional steel framed touring bike with 3 x 9 drivetrain, brooks saddle, mudguards etc:

https://konaworld.com/sutra.cfm

There are accounts online of folks who have been all over the world with the stock Sutra and the stock 40mm tires supplied will be more than comfortable on road as well as tackling easy off-road, like canal paths, gravel roads etc.

Then, if that's not good enough for some folk, they make the Sutra LTD. The LTD version has exactly the same frame as the normal Sutra, but with a 1 x 11 group set and hydraulic disc brakes.

I actually have the LTD myself and tour off-road quite extensively on it, the frame is very comfortable and forgiving, perfect for long days in the saddle. I currently have 44mm wide tires, but with clearance for much more if I wanted.

Either bike makes for a fantastic comfy long distance tourer and really no need for the complexities or weight of front suspension. The LTD even has the same fender and rack mounts as it's on-road cousin, so I could use either soft bags or traditional rack and panniers.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

On a bike, suspension belongs on a proper mountain bike that's being used for charging up and down mountains. Otherwise don't bother.

Absoutely. Even 99% of mountain bike owners never actually use them on the sort of terrain where suspension would be beneficial. Most of them, including me, just pootle around on bumpy gravel and dirt tracks at worst, which don't need anything more than tough tyres and wheels with a decently high number of spokes in them.
Mostly, suspension is nothing more than a marketing gimmick and fitting it to hybrids is just laughably stupid.

 

[cyclewhynot]

hi if weight is not a problem and performance is a non issu since it is for leaisure, the questions becomes is it more comfortable to road on mixed terrain with a full suspension or not. what is your idea on confort vibration absorbption and such?

 

[cyclewhynot]

Alexander, that is an info im wanting to dig in more, the type of suspensions for touring to see wich i would choose and price if i go that route. would you have a link useful?

 

[MidnightRider]

- Some suspension forks have 'lock outs' to stop the suspension when desirable, it effectively makes them rigid.
- Maintenance is more complex (and more expensive) on any form of suspension than rigid is.
- If you go anywhere isolated, vulnerable or with poor spares supply, ease of repair is an issue and so might be the small increased risk of equiment failure.
- Get decent wheels built for abuse/touring. Spokes and wheels seem to be the most common and disabling bike failure on long tours.

Can I suggest you hire possible bike designs for a day or several days, lots of national park areas etc have bike hire as do most cities - hire where there are opportunities to ride the sort of road/ground you have in mind.

Lots of helpful comments from people here, but ultimately is going to
be your comfort that counts, and we all have a variety of body type, health issues etc. Only you will really know what works for you.

Whatever you choose, I hope you have a great time.

 

[Blue Hills]

Mostly, suspension is nothing more than a marketing gimmick and fitting it to hybrids is just laughably stupid.

please tell this to/shout it down the earole of all those ebike companies who fit them - then hopefully before I need an ebike I will have a good choice of solid steel things with appropriate tyres.

 

[MidnightRider]

please tell this to/shout it down the earole of all those ebike companies who fit them - then hopefully before I need an ebike I will have a good choice of solid steel things with appropriate tyres.

I can see where you are coming from with this, but I would guess you are a reasonably fit person. One of the advantages of ebikes is they enable people who have health issues to get about a bit more, or in a more fun form. A suspension fork enables people to get up and down smallish rises (perhaps a kerb or something similar) by just slowing down to a suitable approach speed, no need to stop and lift the bike up, people with health issues may not be able to semi bunny hop. It also means they have the option of riding the better quality off tarmac paths etc in comfort.

Suspension is good for people with spine or joint issues as its less jarring. It can possibly enable people to ride something other than a mobility scooter/vehicle, if they do not wish to use a car.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I have ridden on and off many a kerb and other small step in my time and I have never needed suspension forks to facilitate it, just the timing to try to unweight the wheel that is about to mount the kerb so the tyre doesn't slam into a hard edge.
There is an unfortunate trend of building rather lardy e-hybrids, probably because the assistance. One of the good things about a pure human powered bike is the rider and manufacturer both have a big incentive to avoid superflous weight and excessive tyre drag etc - because the rider has to overcome it all. With electrical assistance there is a temptation to become blase with the design, on the basis it doesn't matter if the bike is heavy and draggy, because the battery will help out. It will help out, but it has more work to do propelling a badly designed e-bike than a good e-bike that is designed to still be as light and easy-rolling as possible.

 

[Drago]

Learn to read the surface, and ride whatever bike you want.

Comfort is not reall the suspension forks forte. That is, they provide comfort as a by product, but their main raison detre is keeping the front wheel in contact with the ground when travlling a little quicker, potentially allowing greater control.

If comfort is your sole concern then impriving your riding skills is the biggest improvement you can make, and a free one at that, followed by attention to the arriss and hand contact points.